State Rep. Matt Dollar (R-Marietta) introduced a bill Tuesday that would remove the new requirement that HOPE scholars have to fill out the lengthy and invasive Free Application for Federal Student Aid form.

“This change will make the process much easier for HOPE scholars and their families,” said Dollar.

A recently enacted Georgia law now requires all state agencies to verify the lawful presence of any individual who applies for a public benefit. This law provides an exemption for the University System of Georgia and the Technical College System of Georgia because these state institutions already verify that their students are lawfully present in the United States. Although the Georgia Student Finance Commission, like USG and TCSG, is required to verify the lawful presence of students receiving public benefits, like HOPE, in accordance with federal law, the GSFC is not exempt from the state law.

“The law currently requires GSFC to waste state resources by annually re-verifying more than 210,000 students enrolled in Georgia’s colleges, universities, and technical schools who have already been verified as lawfully present by the USG and TCSG,” Dollar said.

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